In the last decade, watch auctions have changed from relatively obscure places where retail vintage dealers bought their stock, to well-documented happenings where dealers and private individuals bid alike.

Besides the thrill of live auctions and opportunity to buy rare pieces, the auction houses also serve another purpose: their archives often contain high quality pictures of rare watches and the results can give you an estimate of the market value of certain pieces. Granted – the aforementioned thrill of an auction, plus commissions may make for quite a mark-up from ‘street value’, but still..

So, are you ready to check out some recent results from Antiquorum’s Februari 22nd Hong Kong auction?

First up is lot #1: the Speedmaster Professional Moonphase. The lot went unsold, but is was labelled incorrectly as a 145.0022 (more likely a ST-345.0809) and the dial was listed as ‘reprinted’, which explains the somewhat crooked layout.

Next Speedmaster in this auction is the so-called Teutonic with it’s signature smooth eighties styling. Somewhat of an acquired taste, but quite unique and undervalued. In fact, it’s the cheapest way to get an 861 Speedy! This example with silver dial was sold right in the middle of its estimate at 12.500 HKD (USD 1.650, CHF 1.500).

Now here’s a rare one: lot 46, the Omega Flightmaster / Speedmaster X-33 Prototype second generation.

Food for thought: this watch uses a Seamaster-type case, bears the Flightmaster name and would eventually evolve into a Speedmaster – the X-33 nonetheless, an astronaut’s favourite ’till this very day. Omega history in a nutshell!

This lot was sold for 137.500 HKD or approx. 18.000 USD / 16.000 CHF.

We’ll conclude this post with a modern counterpart of the Speedmaster Moonphase posted above: lot 50, the Speedmaster Professional Moonphase 3876.50.31 (listed as 3576.50.00, the bracelet model).

One might note the subtle changes compared to the vintage model; the flatter dial, now with rings around the subdials, the updated Swiss-designation at 6:00 and various other subtle differences. Rarely seen, this model is a great choice for Speedmaster-aficionados looking for something a bit different.

Still available to day (check out the brand new models at our friends over at Ace Jewelers), the watch sold for 23.750 HKD (approx. USD 3.100 / CHF 2.800).